Fast Car
by Karallaye
Summary: In between the birth of Albus Severus and Lily Luna, Harry Potter left his wife for almost three years. He’s finally mustered up the courage to tell her what happened.
1. Prolouge

**Summary: In between the birth of Albus Severus and Lily Luna, Harry Potter left his wife for almost three years. He's finally mustered up the courage to tell her what happened. **

**A/N: This was an idea I had from the song "Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman. **

**Dislcaimer: **_**This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoat Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.**_

Ginny Weasly knew when not to ask questions. When her long-time crush suddenly kissed her, she let him. When her boyfriend decided it was time to end a war, she watched him go. And when on a rainy night, her husband hastily packed a bag, and didn't come back for almost three years, she simply fire-called her mother, and declared that she was pregnant again, but she would be fine on her own.

There were a few things she had learned about Harry Potter over time; First was that he did what he wanted. Years of being told what to do had hardened his resolve to be his own person. Secondly, he loved deeply, and wholeheartedly, but was hesitant to show it. Thirdly, and this was probably the most important thing, was that he was completely and irrevocably in love with Draco Malfoy.

She figured that he didn't even know it about himself. So she'd married him and they began to build a life together. She wasn't the jealous type to begin with, fiercely protective, yes, but not jealous. There were times when she felt like he hardly saw her, days when she could sit right next to him, and feel alone. But these days were few and far between, so they went on. He told her his secrets, most of them, and she shared all of hers.

While he was gone, she experienced her first child's mistakes, and scraped knees. She gave birth again, and had to start all over. She sold Grimmaud place, and moved to the country, working out of an office in her house. She got used to being alone. He had been declared missing, and so had Draco Malfoy, so she didn't worry as often as she thought she should. She didn't move on, because she knew she couldn't. But she lived.

When he came back, she didn't say a word. He was a different man. She slapped him hard across the cheek, and handed him a crying Albus, then walked into her office. She didn't speak to him for a week. Later, when she asked, he never told her what happened, or why he had gone. He just kept telling her he was happy to be home. She tried to believe him.


	2. You've Got a Fast Car

Harry Potter sat in the family room in Grimmaud Place. He was curled up in an extra wide armchair, staring into the fireplace. He had a silver ribbon woven through the fingers on his left hand. James had finally fallen asleep, and Ginny was in the bath, trying to relax after a harrowing day of being a new mother. She had been up cooing to and trying to calm a baby with colic all day. As Harry shifted in his seat, there was a loud banging at the front door.

As he slowly made his way into the foyer, he wondered vaguely who would be out in this rain. Casting a _revealus_ spell to see who was there, Harry was momentarily shocked to find Draco Malfoy. Quickly he shoved the ribbon into his pocket and yanked open the door. He took in the sight of his former enemy standing drenched on his front steps for a minute.

"My Father is dead." Draco pushed past Harry into the house. Turning as he shut the door, Harry noted that Draco's eyes were redder than any rain would cause. _'He's been crying._' They stared at each other for what felt like hours, but was only seconds, before Draco stated, "_You _are just as unhappy as I am"

Harry had no idea how to respond to that statement, so instead he gestured towards the kitchen. "Tea?"

"Sure" Draco shrugged. Inwardly, Harry was floored. Draco never showed such outward distress. He was usually decisive and clear. He never shrugged. They made their way to the kitchen, Draco casting silent drying spells on his clothes as they went. Harry moved towards the stove and set a pot of water for tea. Draco pulled out a heavy kitchen chair, and practically slumped down onto it. Harry was considerably concerned.

"Um, so what happened?" Draco turned toward him, and fixed him with a serious gaze, his slate grey eyes holding Harry still.

"Voldemort happened, you idiot" Harry let out a forced chuckle, and turned back to the stovetop. As he poured the tea, he felt Draco's eyes on the back of his neck. Harry carried two thick mugs of tea to the table, and took a seat across from the other man. Draco looked exhausted. His eyes were a bit sunken in, and his skin was pulled tight on his hands, as if he'd been wringing them a lot lately. He looked Harry in the eye, and said bluntly, "I need your car"

"What?" Harry hadn't expected that at all, especially from a pureblooded wizard who had spent his adolescence denouncing anything muggle. "Why?"

"I need to get away" Draco replied simply.

"Why not floo? Or apparrate?"

"Because those methods can be traced, and I need to escape this insane scrutiny that's been placed upon me by the media. It will be hell once the press gets wind of my father's death. I feel I should make a preemptive strike, and leave before they find me" That was something Harry could relate to. Ever since the war ended, the Wizarding World had been even more extreme in their obsessive following of his life.

"Can you drive?" Harry happened to like his car, and didn't necessarily feel like throwing it away.

"Is it difficult?" Harry let out a bark of a laugh, before covering his mouth with his hand.

"It's not something you can learn overnight." Giving it a moment's thought, he continued, "Where do you want to go?" He watched the other man trace the intricate pattern on the side of his cup for a moment.

"I don't know…" In a split second decision, that he knew he would regret, Harry made up his mind to do something out of the ordinary.

"I'll drive you" Draco whipped his head up and gave Harry a hard stare. There was something in his eyes that Harry recognized. It was a burning need to be understood and left alone, all at the same time. He tore his gaze away, and looked towards the stairs. Ginny was probably out of the bath and brushing her teeth by now. Harry was trying to figure out the best way of going about this. He pushed back his chair and stood, "I'll be back in a mo'"

Harry took the stairs two at a time, and opened the door to his room. He grabbed an old duffel bag from the closet, stuffed in a few t-shirts, jeans, socks, a pair of sweatpants and some underwear into the bag and shoved his feet into his trainers. Not bothering with much else, he made his way back down the stairs. Grabbing his keys off the side table, he poked his head into the kitchen. "Well, come on then"

Draco slowly stood up and looked at Harry, "You're sure about this" He still looked uneasy.

"Yes" Harry sighed as he pulled on his rain coat, "We leave tonight, or live and die this way"

As they were driving away from his house, Harry realized that he hadn't even stopped to kiss his son goodbye.

A/N: I know it was a bit sudden, but Harry will figure out why he suddenly left, and he'll explain.


End file.
